Japanese wobbegong
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| Orectolobus japonicus Regan, 1906 |
The Japanese wobbegong, Orectolobus japonicus, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean from Japan and Korea to Viet Nam and the Philippines, between latitudes 43° N to 6° N. It reaches a length of 1 m.
The Japanese wobbegong has 5 or 6 dermal flaps below and in front of the eyes, the back having light areas between dark saddles marked with broad reticulated dark lines. The caudal fin, with its upper lobe hardly elevated above the body axis, has a strong terminal lobe and subterminal notch but no ventral lobe. It is a little-known bottom shark found inshore, usually in sand or sandy mud bottoms, but also on rocky and coral reefs. It is nocturnal in habits. It feeds on fish, and presumably bottom invertebrates.
Wobbegongs should be regarded as potentially dangerous because of their formidable dentition. They are used for human consumption, and are kept in aquaria in Japan and the United States.
Reproduction is ovoviviparous with 20 young in a litter.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Orectolobus japonicus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. may 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
